Conor McGregor fights may cost Dustin Poirier bout against Justin Gaethje
Dustin Poirier has faced Conor McGregor thrice and Justin Gaethje once inside the octagon. Poirier lost to McGregor via first-round TKO in a featherweight bout in September 2014. 'The Diamond' defeated McGregor via second-round TKO in their rematch at lightweight in January 2021.
The Poirier-McGregor trilogy matchup, which was also contested at lightweight, saw UFC megastar Conor McGregor suffer a leg injury and lose via first-round TKO in July 2021. While McGregor was an up-and-coming star at the time of his first fight against Poirier, he was an established box office draw during the timeframe their second and third fights transpired.
Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez has now suggested that Dustin Poirier's rematch and trilogy fight against Conor McGregor could influence the outcome of Poirier's potential rematch against Justin Gaethje.
Their first fight witnessed Poirier beat Gaethje via fourth-round TKO in April 2018. Alvarez, for his part, feels that the money Poirier earned from his latter two fights against McGregor might end up hurting his performance in a future rematch against Gaethje.
Dustin Poirier got it done!
The Diamond levelled the rivalry in spectacular fashion at #UFC257 💎
Conor McGregor loses by KO for the first time in his career! https://t.co/5CWFIVlUUn
Many believe that Dustin Poirier earned significant sums of money in his latter two fights against Conor McGregor. Furthermore, 'The Diamond' has diversified his income streams and turned into an incredibly successful entrepreneur in recent years.
Following his last fight against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier faced Charles Oliveira for the undisputed UFC lightweight title in December 2021 and lost via third-round submission. Poirier's next fight, which was also his most recent one, saw him beat Michael Chandler via third-round submission in November 2022.
An injury to Conor McGregor's leg forced a Doctor's Stoppage in the #UFC264 main event.
Dustin Poirier won via TKO. https://t.co/jsZVltGniI
Speaking to The Schmo, Eddie Alvarez referenced the aforementioned variables at play and chimed in on the possible rematch between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
Alvarez suggested that Dustin Poirier's lucrative fights against Conor McGregor might have adversely affected his desire to compete and win in MMA. He opined that perhaps Poirier isn't as hungry for a UFC world title right now as Gaethje is:
"Since Conor, I don't know about Dustin's -- I have to see about Dustin's desire. I mean, he got to the top of the line, where he wanted that [undisputed] world title. He didn't get it, but he still got to beat Conor and make a lot of money with Conor. And sometimes, that money can get in the way of your desire."
Nevertheless, Alvarez emphasized that skill-for-skill, Poirier is better than Gaethje. The former Bellator lightweight champion indicated that he'd pick Poirier over Gaethje if the fight's outcome was decided solely on skill.
However, the BKFC fighter noted that he's picking Gaethje to defeat Poirier in a possible rematch, as he feels 'The Highlight' currently has a greater desire and will to compete than Poirier:
"I don't think Dustin needs to prove anything to anybody. And he's got the money, he's beaten the top-level guys in the world, and maybe his desire will wean a little less than Justin's. And if that's the case, I'd have to give Justin a little bit of the edge going into the second fight."
Watch Alvarez discuss the topic at 3:49 in the video below:
Is a Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje rematch on the horizon?
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting's Damon Martin, the No. 3-ranked UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje highlighted that he'd like to face the No. 2-ranked Dustin Poirier in a rematch next.
'The Highlight' noted that the winner of the upcoming Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush matchup is likely to face undisputed UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for the title in October.
Fight of the century.
Speaking of which, Justin Gaethje called for a fight against Poirier in August, September, or October. Poirier seemingly responded by expressing interest in a potential rematch against Gaethje with the tweet displayed above, albeit without directly referring to the rematch.
Both Gaethje and Poirier happen to be former interim UFC lightweight champions, who've been unable to capture the undisputed UFC lightweight title thus far. 'The Highlight' further insinuated that the winner of their rematch could go on to fight for the undisputed title:
"I think we're both different fighters. Obviously, that was five years ago so yeah, it's a different ballgame, but a fight's a fight. At the end of the day, I think he's got phenomenal skills, he's a hell of a matchup for me, and nothing short of Fight of the Century again."
Watch Gaethje's assessment at 13:41 in the video below: